A study on fasting and post-prandial lipid abnormalities in type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural areas of central Telangana, India

Background: Post-prandial triglyceridemia has been considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor, even more important than altered fasting triglycerides, which are influenced primarily by diet. The study aimed to investigate the fasting and post-prandial lipid profile among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in rural communities considering their different dietary patterns. Patients and Methods: Fasting and post-prandial lipid profile were done among 100 T2DM patients from a rural area in central Telangana. Fasting and post-prandial total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, and LDL were compared. Correlations between HbA1c and post-prandial lipid parameters and also between fasting and post-prandial lipid parameters were studied. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 48.17 ± 9.6 years, whereas the mean HBA1c was 9% ± 2.12%. The mean post-prandial triglycerides were significantly elevated in comparison with fasting (202 ± 101.72 vs. 161.6 ± 83.91; P < 0.0001). The mean post-prandial total cholesterol was also elevated modestly (181.8 ± 43.79 vs. 174.5 ± 36.51; P = 0.0004). There was a non-significant very weak positive correlation between HBA1c and post-prandial TGL and TC; (( r = 0.17) and ( r = 0.05); P = 0.10 and P = 0.60, respectively). There was a significant positive correlation between fasting and post-prandial TC, LDL, TGL, and HDL (( r = 0.88), ( r = 0.81), ( r = 0.79) and ( r = 0.73); ( P < 0.001)). Conclusions: The current study found that post-prandial triglycerides were significantly elevated in comparison with fasting triglycerides. There was a very strong positive correlation between fasting and post-prandial total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, and VLDL.